Heart disease continues to be the largest single cause of death in the United States and worldwide. But familiarity seems to breed contempt. Most American adults don’t have their cholesterol or other risk factors checked regularly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And when those who do see dangerously high numbers, many …Read More

For doctors, a rare disease can be a frustrating mystery. It poses challenges they haven’t learned about in medical school or encountered in practice, and similar cases are hard to find. For patients and their families, undiagnosed diseases are emotional roller coasters whose ups and downs come unpredictably. “It’s like battling ‘an unknown enemy,’” said Euan …Read More

The cartilage in your knee is shot? Look online, and you’ll quickly learn that stem cells may be able to help you. There are also plenty of claims that stem cells — cells that have the potential to become almost any type of cell in the body — can help with heart failure, diabetes and blindness. …Read More

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), or distensions of the aortic artery as it passes through abdomen, aren’t a widely talked about form of cardiovascular disease. But each year, more than 200,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with an AAA, and these aneurysms represent the 10th leading cause of death among men over 55. If an aneurysm ruptures, …Read More